As much as I love Rice, the prevailing attitude and practice I have found on campus regarding sleep is, frankly, disgusting. Students seem to believe not only that sleep is unimportant, but also that people who get less sleep are somehow better. I know many students who, when not pulling all-nighters, get a “full night’s sleep” of 4 or 5 hours. Even people not at this extreme seem to have misconceptions about the importance of a healthy sleep schedule and how to have one. In the Wake-Up Call series (get it? It’s a wake-up call and it’s about sleep!!), I’m going to explore these issues in depth and talk about how to have a healthier relationship with sleep. In this first installment, let’s address a bunch of sleep misconceptions I’ve heard around campus.
- My body only needs 6 hours of sleep to be rested. No, it doesn’t. No one is actually like this. Yes, this means you, too. Really, you should be aiming for 9.5 hours, but I’ll take literally any more than what you’re currently getting. The reason you might’ve felt more tired when you got more than your normal amount of sleep is that your body is not used to it. If you consistently get enough sleep, you will consistently feel better.
- Sleeping is a bad use of my time. The less sleep you get, the less efficiently you are able to use you time and, thus, the less productive you are able to be. If you’re really concerned about making the most of your time, get enough sleep.
- I don’t have enough time to sleep and finish everything I’m responsible for. First, see number 2. If you fix your sleep schedule, you might have the brain power to get everything done in the amount of time you have. If you are still literally unable to get enough sleep and also finish all of your obligations, either look at how much you’re procrastinating, or cut down on your commitments.
- Hanging out with my friends/watching Netflix is better for my mental health than sleep. Okay, you should still prioritize that stuff. Having time to watch Netflix or hang out with your friends is also important for your mental health, but those are the activities that you can cut down on if you have more work than normal one week. Losing sleep immediately hurts your mental health and productivity, but you can cut out your social time one day with minimal consequences. But like I said, if you consistently don’t have enough time for friends, time alone, sleep, and everything else, quit something.
- If I go to sleep after an all-nighter, I’ll just wake up more tired. I don’t generally support pulling an all-nighter, but I get that sometimes you make a lot of mistakes and commit to way too many things and end up having to. I did it once; it was not fun. I would argue that they’re always avoidable by either not procrastinating or not committing to things you don’t have time for, but in this scenario, you’ve already made the mistakes and already pulled the all-nighter. In this case, and any case where you aren’t getting enough sleep, any additional amount of sleep that you can get will make your body hate you less.
- People will judge me for going to sleep early. First of all, they probably will not care at all. If they do, though, you will be better equipped to handle it. When you are well-rested, your mood stabilizes and your problem-solving abilities improve. Also, maybe show that person this article; they probably have some stuff to work through.
If you’re not convinced, let me know what I missed! If you are, check in next time for tips on how to have a healthy sleep schedule.